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So the initial plan for this weekend was the 9 Fannaichs but the weather put pay to that... Time to downgrade then; perhaps 5 from Corrour... I plan the route (a spot of trail blazing required as no example of this route on Walk Highlands) and it comes out a whisper shy of 40 km... That will be some hoof then... I wake up and it's absolutely shelving it down with rain... 40km in this; I don't think so; that won't be fun... What then? Braerich... My nemesis; I must have had plans to climb this mountain a dozen times and still it remains an obstinate red pin on my map... Time to go get it...
And then on the drive up the weather clears up... Hmmm... Scraggles says we can't drive past Dalwhinnie with the weather like this; unbelievably it's almost blue skies... Right then; no Braerich; and the 5 are back on... Can't say I've particularly been looking forward to these hills; not really my thing... I'm expecting a day of heather; bog; and fairly rounded boring; if isolated peaks... Each to their own; I prefer the rockier ridgy stuff; so for me it's best to bang them out in a day and get them done...
- The weather on the way north...
We've a little time before the train so we check out the dam - I'd half thought about walking back through the woods... But the dam didn't look easy to cross; well I'm sure we could climb over but we've Rocco the black lab with us this week; and it's not looking easy... Right then; back along the road it is... I didn't fancy train roulette on the railway bridge...
- Checking out the dam for the route back...
Scraggles is in trouble at Tulloch for using the toilets in the hostel... To be fair to him he was pointed in their direction by a lodger; nonetheless the message is clear - don't errr in the lodge... The train soon arrives, and we're off...
- The Train arrives at Tulloch...
I go to get a couple of coffees on the train but by mistake come back with a couple of ciders... Back on the menu now the serious stuff of Mullardoch is done and dusted with...
- Preparing for the walk back with a spot of breakfast...
The views from the train en route to Corrour are pretty good; and thus far the promised 'persistent rain' from mwis is staying away... Good stuff!
- View from the train en route to Corrour...
At 08:30 we arrive at Corrour; a somewhat isolated train station...
- Our train leaves us... Errr... In the middle of nowhere... Committed now!
More isolation...
- Isolation at Corrour...
The station house...
- Corrour Station...
We start the walk along the track and after 500 metres or so Scraggles realises he's left Rocco's lead back at the train station... That's an extra kilometre for him then as he runs back to get it haha... Meanwhile I take a couple of pictures of the view towards Ben Alder...
- The view toward Ben Alder...
Beinn na Lap looks clear and at the moment at least the day is shaping up okay...
- Beinn na Lap...
After a few km along the track it's time to tack to the hillside and begin the gentle climb of Carn Dearg; the first Munro of the day... It's an easy climb, though not particularly pleasant underfoot until the broad ridge is reached at about 800 metres where the terrain improves...
- Looking back toward Corrour from the upper slopes of Munro 1...
The clag threatens to roll in as we head over to Sgor Gaibhre.. That's an easy climb; straight up gentle grassy slopes...
- The clag starting to show signs of rolling in...
We contour around the subsidiary top; not much point in climbing it as in it's the clag but we want to stay up high where the terrain is typically better... Then we descend back to Loch Ossian and find a track through the woods... This is pleasant and makes a change form the heather...
- Wooded walk back to the loch...
There's a gorgeous splash of colour near the hunting lodge as we head back toward Beinn na Lap...
- A splash of colour looking toward Beinn na Lap...
We walk around Loch Ossian on the track for a little before a path heads up through the forest... The path soon vanishes as we exit the forest and it's another 450 metre climb over heather and bog to Beinn na Lap with a steep but short finish...
After following the ridge for a distance we descend the steep northwest slopes of Beinn na Lap before tackling the 550 metre climb of Chno Dearg...
- Looking back at the steep descent of Beinn na Lap...
And this is where the views stop... we're into the clag for the last two Munros... Thereafter it's an easy descent to Fersit and the small matter of 7 km or so back along the road to Tulloch...
Overall a good route; good to do something new; and good to get these bog meisters out of the way
- The last of the views...
The route; trail blazing taking in all five munros...
And the stats; as near as dammit 9 hours for this wee hoof...
- The Stats...
